24-Hours To Improve Evolution Korea
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Evolution Korea
The financial crisis that hit Asia caused a major review of the traditional system of government, business alliances, and public management of risks. In Korea, this meant a change in the model of development.
In a controversial move South Korea's government has requested textbook publishers to ignore calls to remove examples of evolution from high school science books. This includes evidence for the evolution of horses and the avian ancestral Archaeopteryx.
1. Evolution and Religion
A group of creationists in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to remove evidence of evolution in high school science textbooks. This was the result of a campaign led by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR), an independent affiliate of the Korea Association for Creation Research that aims to clear biology books of "atheist materialism." The STR asserts that such materialism creates an image of negativity for students, leading them to be skeptical.
Scientists across the globe expressed concern when the STR campaign gained attention. Jae Choe, evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, complained in an email to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was supported by colleagues across the country, who set up a group called Evolution Korea to organize a petition to protest the changes to the textbooks.
Some researchers are worried that the STR campaign will spread to other parts of the globe where the belief in creationism is on the rise. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution movement putting more pressure on textbook revisions, especially in countries with large Christian and Muslim populations.
The South Korean culture is especially strong in the debate over evolution. 26 percent of South Koreans are members of a religious group with the majority of them practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also follow Ch'ondogyo, a philosophy based upon Confucian principles, which emphasizes harmony in the social, personal self-cultivation and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo believes that humans are one with Hanulnim, the God of the Sun, and that the heavenly blessings can be derived through the good deeds of a person.
All of this has provided an ideal environment for the spread of creationism. Several studies have shown that students with religion-based backgrounds tend to feel more uncomfortable when learning about evolution than those who do not have a religious background. The underlying causes are not evident. Students with a religious background may not be as knowledgeable about scientific theories, which makes them more susceptible to creationists' influence. Another reason could be that students who have a religious background are more likely to view evolution as an atheistic idea which could make them less at ease with it.
2. Evolution and Science
In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have raised concerns in the scientific community. A 2009 survey revealed nearly 40 percent of Americans believed that biological evolution was not true and that it could conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the fact that creationism has been a huge success in certain states, many scientists believe that the best way to combat this inclination is not to actively engage in it, but to educate people about the evidence that supports evolution.
Scientists are accountable for teaching their students science including the theory of evolution. They should also inform the public about the process of science and how knowledge from science is collected and validated. They should also explain how scientific theories are frequently challenged and modified. However, misinformation about the nature and purpose of scientific research can fuel anti-evolution views.
For instance, some people are able to confuse the term "theory" with the common meaning of the word - a guess or guess. In the realm of science theories are rigorously tested and verified with empirical evidence. A theory that is repeatedly tested and observed is then a scientific principle.
The debate about the evolutionary theory provides a great occasion to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is important for people to recognize that science cannot answer questions regarding the purpose or meaning of life, but it is merely a means that allows living things to grow and change.
A well-rounded education should also include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because the jobs people are employed in and the decisions they make require understanding of how science works.
The vast majority of scientists around world believe that humans have evolved over time. In a study that predicted the views of adults on the consensus on this subject, those with higher levels education and scientific knowledge were found to be more likely to believe that there is wide consensus among scientists on human evolution. People with more religious beliefs and less knowledge of science tend to be more skeptical. It is important that educators emphasize the importance of understanding this consensus, to enable people to make informed decisions about the use of energy, health care, and other policy matters.
3. Evolution and Culture
Cultural evolution is a cousin of the mainstream evolutionary theory. It focuses on how humans and other organisms learn from one another. Researchers in this area use explanatory tools and investigative models that are adapted from evolutionary theorists. They also go back to prehistoric times to discover the earliest sources of culture.
This method also acknowledges that there are some differences between the characteristics of culture and biological. While biological traits are largely acquired at once (in sexual species, after fertilization), cultural traits can be acquired over a lengthy period of time. In the end, the acquisition of one trait may affect the development of another.
In Korea, for example the introduction of Western fashion elements in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries was the result of a complicated sequence of events. One of the most important was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western hairstyles and clothing.
When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s some of these changes began to reverse. At the close of World War II, Korea was once again united but this time under the rule of the Choson dynasty.
Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the country's economy has been growing steadily over the last decade and is poised to sustain its steady growth in the near future.
The current government is faced with a variety of challenges. The inability of the government to come up with a coherent plan to deal with the current economic crisis is among the most significant challenges. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses in the country's policies particularly its dependence on foreign investment and exports, which may not last.
As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government must review its economic strategy and come up with alternative ways to boost domestic demand. It also needs to revamp the incentive monitoring, control, and discipline systems that are currently in place to ensure the stability of the financial system. This chapter provides a number of scenarios on how the Korean economy could develop post-crisis.
4. Evolution and Education
The challenge for teachers of evolution lies in how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for various levels of development and ages. Teachers need to, for instance, be sensitive to the here diversity of religions within their classrooms and create a welcoming environment where students of both secular and religious beliefs are comfortable. Teachers should be able to recognize common misconceptions about evolution and be able to address them in the classroom. Teachers must also be able to access a range of resources available for teaching evolution and be able locate them quickly.
In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation had a key role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from different sectors to discuss the best methods for teaching about Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies and educational research organizations, as well as officials of government funding agencies as well as curriculum designers. The convergence of diverse stakeholders helped identify some common guidelines that will form the basis for any future actions.
One important recommendation is that the subject of evolution should be included in every science curriculum at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) which require the integration of evolution across all life sciences with the developmentally appropriate, are a good way to achieve this goal. A new publication from the NRC offers guidance to schools on how they can integrate evolution into the life science curriculum.
Multiple studies have proven that a more comprehensive presentation of evolution leads to greater student understanding and belief in the existence of evolution. It is difficult to determine causal effects in the classroom since the curriculum for schools do not change on a regular basis and are affected by the timing of the state board of education and the gubernatorial election. To overcome this issue I employ an ongoing dataset that gives me control for the effects of years and states fixed as well as individual-level variations in the beliefs of teachers regarding evolutionary theory.
Teachers who are more comfortable teaching evolution also have less internal barriers. This is consistent with the idea that a more confident faculty is less likely to avoid discussing evolution subjects in the classroom. They also may be more likely to employ strategies like an approach to reconciliation that is known to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution (Harms and Reiss, 2019; Tolman et al. 2020).